Second place on the line tonight

One number that will be on every Hutchinson defender’s minds tonight will be 14. That is the number on the back of Prior Lake quarterback T.J. Larson.

Larson, a first-year starting junior, leads the conference in passing with 808 yards and eight touchdowns. As a team, Prior Lake has only 515 rushing yards. Sound familiar (Mankato West)?

The Lakers, who are tied with Hutchinson at 3-1 for second place in the Missota Conference, aren’t afraid to go through the air. In fact, that is where they are at their best.

When Larson has thrown two touchdowns, the Lakers are 3-0. When he has less than two, Prior Lake is 0-2.

Two weeks ago Larson had career-high in yards (228), attempts (27), but also in interceptions with two. Stopping Larson will be the key this week.

The winner stays alive in the conference chase behind Farmington, while the loser falls into the mix with Northfield, Shakopee and New Prague for third.

To read more about the Tigers and tonight's game, including the three keys to the game, make sure to check out Thursday's print edition on newsstand right now.

Eric Kraushar is the sports editor at the Hutchinson Leader. He can be reached at sports@hutchinsonleader.com.